Control your technology at SDCC

18 JUNE 2015




The Toucan blog came out with more tips today that are actually rules about you and your newfangled technology. Some of these we already know; some are unintentionally hilarious; all are necessary to know. Let's summarize.

No selfie sticks. We knew this. But wait, did we know how extensive the ban would be? I don't think so: "This includes all of the Convention Center: Exhibit Hall, Programming and Event rooms, etc., and on Convention Center grounds outside, and any official Comic-Con events outside the Center, including the Marriott Marquis, Manchester Grand Hyatt, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, and Omni San Diego hotels, the Horton Grand Theatre, and the San Diego Central Library."

So on any hallowed Comic-Con ground, your selfie stick is forbidden.

No livestreaming. Good luck enforcing this one, Comic-Con, although I agree with it. I'll say it here; holding up a device to record your panel is not only rude to the people sitting behind you, it will catch Security's eye. Of course some of you are stealthy enough to pull this off without getting caught; then we have Google Glass, which you cannot wear during footage viewing. They recommend bringing a different pair of glasses to wear if your Google Glass is prescription eyewear. What will Comic-Con do when recording devices are built into our corneas?

None of your e-cigarettes and vaping devices. You can use these outside in "designated areas" but don't try it inside.

And finally...

No drones or "flying devices." The idea of drones flying around the Exhibit Hall is obviously a bad one, but they can't even be "tethered" - inside or outside the convention center. So there go your plans for recording the Hall H line from an aerial view to show your friends at home. Also banned: "helium balloons and helium filled products, drones, or any lighter than air objects either powered or unpowered." And no levitating, presumably.

I think the only one of these that will really impact attendees is the rule against livestreaming - and that fits into the existing rule about not recording. All in all, these are pretty reasonable, right?